Colcannon Cakes (Potato Cakes)

Mashed Potatoes never made it to day two in my childhood home. They were a hot commodity, and there being five of us, we consumed them in one sitting, or else someone found them for a snack later. Because I didn’t know mashed potatoes could be leftovers, I never knew you could make potato cakes out of mashed potatoes until I lived with Fee. Being as they are basically my two favorite things: fried and potatoes. I thought she was brilliant! Of course, I realize that they have been around for millennia and most people probably make them routinely, however, to me, they are a special meal from Fee.

While I cook, Serafina gets to work. We call this cabinet "her office," since she is very serious about her work with tupperware

This weekend, we had leftover Colcannon, Irish mashed potatoes, and so we decided to make them into potato cakes. This recipe works for regular mashed potatoes as well, just throw in sauteed onions and garlic to add flavor. I looked up a bunch of recipes and tried these fried and baked. We tried both, and sorry health nuts, the baked just didn’t cut it at all. In fact, I ended up frying them. Also, consider topping your Colcannon cakes with an egg, ketchup, cheese, or a creamy mushroom sauce.

Colcannon Cakes (Potato Cakes)

1. Slowly heat your iron skillet with enough canola oil to be an inch or so deep. You don’t want to heat the oil too high or you will have a nice splash of hot oil in your face. I kept it between 2-4 on my stove dial.

2. Take a handful of Colcannon and make it into a disk shape. Dredge it in egg, then flour. Place on a plate. When you have all four cakes, put the plate in the freezer or fridge for a few minutes to let it set. Most recipes call for a half hour in the fridge, but we did 7 minutes in the freezer.

3. When you are ready, place the Colcannon cakes in the skillet. Let them cook over low/medium heat for 10 minutes. Don’t move them around, as it will make them fall apart. After ten minutes, or when the bottom is golden, flip the cake and let it cook for another 10 minutes.